New York City officials have announced plans to limit the number of art vendors who sell their works in several Manhattan’s busiest parks.
The new rules proposed by the Mayor’s office designate that the number of vendors peddling art and other creative goods would decrease by nearly 80 percent.
Art vendors seem to be more of a problem in Union Square, the High Line Park and areas surrounding the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically by Central Park as well as in our own Battery Park. Art vendors have been known to line up around the main entrances of the park, and are often looked at as public nuisances who have been abusing free public space for commercial gain.
Vendors argue that the decreasing the landscape is against their constitutional right. Hearings have been scheduled for sometime next week.
How do you feel about the restrictions being made for public art vendors?
what about the counterfeit luxury bags dealers?
between the art vendors and the counterfeit luxury bags dealers, i’d rather see the art vendors stay, and the counterfeit bag dealers go. one group is selling legal merchandise, the other is clearly trading in illegal merchandise. and they make neither commitments NOR investments in our neighborhood. their shady way of operating is the real blight on our streets.
The people I have the most trouble with are the peddlers of the “Tragedy” books. They are unrelenting and making a profit off the attacks. I imagine they make a decent living for they wouldn’t be there everyday for the last 9 years. That is very troubling.
Lizbeth, thats one I hadn’t thought of. For what it’s worth, it was out of respect for the lost that I did not let myself even turn a glance at Ground Zero when walking past it for the first two years.
Yes it’s crass that these merchants make a profit off the tragedy. On the other hand, it ends up being a non-governmental way of keeping the memory alive. Bit like an informal memorial, if I may… I am saying this on the fly here.